Parallel
by Reizna
Summary: A young prince guards the crystal with his life. A young woman lives her life with no memory of her past and works under an alias. Destiny has crossed their paths once before. Now, it will happen once more.
1. Unspoken Lament

**Disclaimer**: Square Enix owns the damn set of games. If I indeed owned them, guess what? Lightning and Noctis would be together. So nyah.

Note: This is a crossover between Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII. The two said characters are from different games. And also, this is my take on what was going on through his head during the first trailer that featured him with a few changes. So please read and review. If you have any questions, ask in a review please and I'll do my best to answer it.

Edit: Changed Rain's name to his official name, Noctis.

* * *

Unspoken Lament

_Part One of the Parallel Series_

* * *

He was the last heir of an ancient dynasty, chosen by the age-old crystals. He knew it. She did as well. But that didn't seem to stop them. Circumstances had never changed their relationship when they were younger, when they could have fun. His hazel eyes would look into her peaceful blue ones. Back then, they had not a care in the world.

Then, the time came. His father passed away, protecting the city from those who lusted after the crystal's power. Noctis's father was king prior to his death. So then, duty of the family fell into young Noctis's hands. Both he and his childhood sweetheart were seventeen at the time. That was when everything seemed to change ever so quickly.

Sitting upon his throne-like seat, he pondered about everything that had happened between the two of them. Her sweet name, he wouldn't dare utter aloud. She was not that person he had kissed so innocently. That person he had taught how to fight during their teenage years, the girl he wanted to protected, the young woman he had loved with all his heart was gone. She had disappeared into oblivion.

"No, she went to that isolated country, Cocoon." He mumbled. His right hand covered by a black glove lifted to his lips. His thumb then traced his lower lip. He could barely recall the feel of her lips against his. It had been a while now. He was currently twenty-two. She would be roughly the same age; probably, still fending for herself as the other men tried to pull her to themselves by her soft, light brown hair. Her slender, but built form wouldn't be enough to stop other people from advancing, but still he recalled that after the change, she wasn't all that feminine.

Still thinking of her, Noctis closed his hazel eyes. His dark hair fell, covering his closed eyes. Memories flooded back, but with them, came the regret. He gained the duty of protecting the city with the crystal's fortification, but he had made a great sacrifice. He had to forsake her. To ease her pain, he had erased all her memories using the power bestowed on him by the country's crystal and sent her away.

Time had passed. Every citizen had forgotten about the girl who once stood at their protector's side. Everything about her was wiped from the pages of their histories.

He was the only one. He alone remembered her.

Noctis let out a sigh. 'The woman I loved became the Lightning of Cocoon.'

Suddenly, the pillar behind him gave off that aura again. Its magic beckoned him with _her_ voice. He fought the urge to show that he was angry. It was about his duty again. It had always about his obligation since that woman became known as Lightning. Stirring from his spot down memory lane, he listened for that voice to tell him what was going on and he heard it.

There were soldiers sent in by the enemy country approaching. They sought the crystal he protected. Once more, he would go and protect it. Groaning quietly as he got up from his throne-like chair to walk down the once great halls of the palace, he knew he would have to fight alone as always. Noctis flexed the muscles of his arms as he pushed open the doors at the head of the castle hall.

His ears heard the cocking of machine rifles and men scrambling as he stepped out into the open. He was outnumbered by at least, three hundred to one, but still, he was the least bit afraid. His face still carried that emotionless expression as he stepped down the steps one by one to meet them. His eyes reflected no emotion as he caught a glimpse of her within his mind.

Perhaps, she was fighting at this very moment. Who knew? Noctis absolutely did not. Strolling for the half-way point down the grand staircase, which was the entrance of the palace temple where the crystal was housed, the dark-haired guardian watched as his opponents fired at him. A shower of bullets came directly at him, but he stood there, unafraid of it. They would not hurt him nor would they touch him.

He knew this much.

The bullets bounced off as they collided with his barrier. His eyes snapped open and objects appeared, swirling around him as if protecting him from the attacks. His able weapons formed before him one by one as the rain of bullets ceased. His power manifested as he grabbed one of the various swords. The soldiers rushed at him and he swung at them, vanishing in a puff of black smoke only to reappear above them.

His weapons scattered in all directions, each with a mind of its own, and attacked his opponents. Noctis's will was bent on guarding the crystal that he didn't simply care who would die that night. It was all about his country's crystal and its promise to him.

He would see her again, one day. He would, it promised it would be his destiny. So he fought.

'I'll fight in memory of you….Lightning.'


	2. Clouded Dream

**Disclaimer**: Square Enix owns the damn set of games. If I indeed owned them, guess what? This girl and the protagonist guy from Versus XIII (who I dubbed as Rain) would be together. So nyah.

Note: This is a crossover fandom between Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII. The two main characters are from different games. By the way, this is Lightning's POV. I'm going to frequently switch between the names Rain and Noctus for the Versus XIII guy, okay? Bare with me.

* * *

Clouded Dream

_Part Two of the Parallel Series_

_

* * *

_

She couldn't remember anything. Something appeared to be blocking her memories from her reach. No matter how many analysis tests they had run on her, the doctors had always told her she had a severe case amnesia. Why and how the questions she wanted answered, but she wouldn't get any replies.

After all, it was her past, not theirs.

Quickly, she shook it off her mind. She had a mission to do. From the cliff, she looked down at the empty railroad tracks. It would be coming soon. She wouldn't fail this; she could not afford to fail. If she succeeded, then perhaps she would get her memory back. Or that's what they kept telling her.

Lightning was her name now. This was her duty.

Who she was and what she before she reached Cocoon was shrouded with mystery.

_Your task is to release the Organization members being held captive. The Government of Cocoon has deemed these people as infected. They are just like you._

The electronic informant snapped her out of her thoughts. It spoke through a contraption attached to her right ear. She let out a sigh. Lightning would have to be alone for this one. That didn't matter for things were easier that way.

_Train Delta-Tau 00178, bound to the Isolation Zone. Approaching in sixty seconds._

Counting down the time, Lightning walked a short distance away from the cliff before turning back around and broke into a sprint. To catch her ride, she would have to jump. The wind played with her dyed light-pink hair as she leapt off the edge of the cliff. She only had a few seconds and one chance to get this right.

Fear tried to grip her, but it would never hold her.

Fearless was her middle name.

She grunted as she landed on one of the cars farther back of the train. Lightning glanced at her ankles, which ached, reminding herself to get that checked. She was still human, after all. She began to run forward on top of the moving train.

_Your mission objective is right beneath you, but there are guards. Deal with them and take control of the train._

As soon as she heard this via the contraption in her ear, she swore she heard voices from inside the car. The guards. A small smirk played on her lips as she knelt down to open the escape exit. Then, she felt a drop fall from the sky. She looked up slowly and blinked.

It was oddly comforting. And it was strangely familiar.

"_Rain…?_" A name left her lips. The way it had rolled her tongue was familiar, but why? Was it her past? Drops of water fell from the sky, drenching her entire being. Being soaked this way felt extremely familiar. She pressed her lips together.

She had a clue to figure out her clouded dream. "Wait…_Noctis_."


	3. Somewhere

By popular demand, I was inspired to keep writing after I saw a manip on tumblr. I'll post up the link to the image on my profile. Here we go. This car scene is taken from the beginning of the latest Versus XIII trailer, released in January 2011. Most of the dialogue is taken from a subbed version of the said trailer. As for the Final Fantasy XIII parts, I'm taking these scenes out of order and twisting them to suit my lack of a huge plot. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: See Chapter one.

* * *

Somewhere

_Part Three of the Parallel Series_

* * *

She became Lightning of Cocoon.

It was her favorite – Light. She loved the warm light, even in the darkest of storms. She loved watching the flashes of light streak across the sky before the thunder rang. Lightning – it flashed bright, then faded away.

_It can't protect. It only destroys._ Her last words, he remembered them well. She changed her name when she awoke, after the crystal erased her memory.

How old was he when he lost her? Even he failed to remember. All he knew was that he wanted to be with her again. He wondered where she was now, what she was doing, if she found love in another.

"Prince Noctis!"

What? Another voice called him out of his mind.

"Prince Noctis!"

Noctis heard, but did not stir.

"Prince Noctis!"

At the third call, he awoke in a daze. He was in a car? He took a deep breath in and lifted his gaze to his driver. It wasn't Gladiolus. That's right. He was being transported by his father's driver. His safety came first. Prompto, Gladiolus and Ignis were behind them in the decoy car.

"Oh! That's a big impact." The driver remarked.

Noctis sighed and turned to face the window, gazing upon the metropolis. Military aircrafts were surrounding the three major skyscrapers of the city. The prince watched with sad eyes, his hands clenched together.

"That…looks like it's being conquered."

His thoughts drifted to her again as the car reached the toll gates. The driver spoke a few words to security, pressing a few buttons on the radio pad. They passed through almost instantly. Noctis looked down at his hands briefly before looking back out the window. His lips pressed together in a frown.

Lightning…_Claire_.

"What would you do?" He asked softly. "Claire?"

He knew the answer. She would fight until she couldn't stand. As would he. If it came down to it, he too would fight until his dying breath – to fulfill his duty as a Caelum and as a tribute to her memory.

_I just need to know whatever has happened._

_The truth will free my soul._

"What happened to you?" He whispered lovingly. Not even Gladiolus and Ignis knew he still grieved for the woman. Prompto did not know of her; he was the most recent friend and immigrant to the kingdom. He would not know of Claire. "Etro, tell me. Is she with you in your kingdom?"

* * *

"We will see her, right?" He asked.

She grabbed the back of Snow's coat as he began to walk away. Serah had been taken away from them, but they were determined. They would fight – fight their way to get back to her. "We'll see her again. And soon. You've convinced me of that."

Lightning lowered her gaze as her grip slipped away.

"So stay strong." She moved around the taller and bigger blond man, putting away her weapon. Lightning didn't think she'd finally accept this man as her future brother-in-law.

"Don't worry. We'll finish this and go see her together."

And that man, maybe. That name, Noctis, was ringing bells in her head. Something inside her told her that she needed to go see him too. She and Snow stood in silence, watching the sunset. They were to make camp for the night. Snow began to walk toward their campsite, leaving Lightning to think beneath the setting sun. She clenched a gloved hand and placed it against her left breast, where her brand marked her skin.

Those people on that train were not tainted. They were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time – just like her. Unlike them, she was marked – a l'cie with great power.

Great power. She clenched her hand tighter. She had been around a fal'Cie's power before. No, it was something similar.

_Crystal._

"Ah." A pain erupted from her head. She fell to her knees, into the tall grass, clutching her head. Etro, it hurt.

_Guardian._

She whimpered. Ha, only Serah saw the great Lightning whimper, but such an event was rare. Lightning never whimpered with pain. Her blue eyes began to tear up. A rush of memories, a life that may be hers flashed through her eyes.

_Claire Farron, you are no longer, but he remains._

"Lightning!"

"Light?"

"Hey, pull yourself together, Light!"

She heard her comrades shout from the campsite, footsteps stomping over to where she fell to the ground. Her vision grew dark. Her brand burns against her skin. She feared it was changing. Her time was ticking. Would she be one step closer to be a monster, a Cie'th?

She groaned. His name echoed through her mind as she blacked out.

"Noctis Lucis Caelum."

When she spoke it, a dam in the recesses of her mind broke, leaving a flood of hidden truths to reveal themselves to her. She knew that name. _It's all come back to me, the true…_


	4. Madder Sky

_Madder Sky_

_Part Four of the Parallel Series_

* * *

Fal'cies be damned. Everything was a lie. Her life was a lie. Her name – Lightning – was a lie. Her parents were a lie. Her past on Cocoon was a lie. And she was pissed. She fought to protect her home, for her baby sister but was it even worth it now? Was it worth it when _everything_ returned to her?

_Everything_ was so damn complicated.

She was in denial, making harder than it was to accept it. Etro, it was ridiculous. Her life in Cocoon - with Serah, with Snow, with Hope, with Sazh, with Vanille and with Fang – was a stage necessary for the future of Gran Pulse, her future. It was a future where crystals fueled nations, where a lone prince caught her eye, where her true memories found their home.

She was a time paradox – never meant to exist in the past until the goddess Etro decreed it, where that future was endangered. She was hailed as a heroine, one of the l'cie of legend, remembered forever as Lightning of Legend. Etro whispered into Lightning the truth of her life: Serah was her ancestor as was Snow.

Lightning, due to the nature of the time paradox, was angry. "Snow is my ancestor? Brother, I am fine with, but _ancestor_?"

Her Pulsian l'cie brand faded, but her powers had remained. She had never told Serah or Sazh. Hell, she never even mentioned it to Fang's unanswering ears whenever she gazed upon the crystallized pillar. She did not have the heart to tell them of what she knew.

She was still bound to the fal'cies, whom she remembered in their crystal forms. Though her brand was gone, her connection to them remained, her old focus remembered and memories with it. Protect the crystals, the new forms of the fal'cie. By blood, she was bound. In her veins, their magic lay. Her destiny remembered.

_White flash, call upon my name._

_Claire Farron shall live again._

* * *

"Noctis, you know which Cocoonian family you're descended from, right?" Gladiolus asked quietly.

"Yes." Noctis nodded. "Raines."

His friends flipped through an ancient book, covered in dust. Sketches of Cocoon from before its crystallization by the beast Ragnarok decorated the hardbound cover. Noctis wrinkled his nose as he inhaled some of the dust, huffing out the air as quickly as possible. It was bad enough that his lungs were turning black due to heavy carbon emissions within his city. His attention then drifted back to the book his friends were looking through.

He was Noctis Lucis Caelum, a descendant of the Raines family. And she was—

"Lightning of Legend killed Cid Raines, didn't she? I wonder why. I mean like sure, they were betrayed but isn't there more than that?" Prompto dropped into the conversation, startling Gladiolous, who merely glared at the blond immigrant. Gladiolous knew of Noctis' fascination with the Lightning of Legend, but did not make the connection.

The Goddess of Death then whispered in Noctis's ear: _It is because you look so much like him. She was drawn to him too, but it was never meant to be. She was drawn to him because her heart was reminded of you._

Noctis frowned, pressing his lips together. He shook his head, slumping back in his seat.

_She will be returned to you soon._

Only when she returned, would they realize it. Lightning of Legend and their beloved Claire were one in the same by Etro's grace. She was a crystal guardian, a different kind of l'cie and a guardian of Etro's legacy.

_She will stand guard over my legacy. She will stand guard over _you_, Noctis._

* * *

Uh yeah, this plot is confusing but it's getting somewhere. I promise! Noctis and Light will interact in the next chapter. So look out for it. Sorry for the short update.


	5. Lacrimosa

_Lacrimosa_

_Part Five of the Parallel Series_

* * *

Lightning, being a Guardian Corps officer, was accustomed to pain, but what she had just experienced was different. By Etro, that _hurt_. And fal'Cies be damned, the poets and writers elegantly wrote out it felt to leap through time, but they were wrong about it. It was hardly a simple dive like how an experience swimmer could leap from the diving block and into the water at the beginning of a race.

She had felt as though she had got through hell, her body being ripped apart a million times over. It was agonizing. And when she landed, her reflexes were slow. Lightning had failed to activate her gravity com unit in time to break her fall. She landed chest first into hard, black tar. She had the wind knocked out of her, but that certainly gave her a wake up call that she was no longer in New Bodhum.

"Ugh." She rolled over, snapping her eyes open as she carefully moved to sit up. The city in front of her eyes was a familiar sight from her memories. _Claire_ once called this place home.

After a few minutes of recovery, she pushed herself up off the ground, allowing her to stand. But just then, she heard the sound of screeching tires. She turned and reached for her Blazefire Saber, whipping into its gun mode, prepared to fire at will. Her icy blue eyes glared at the incoming car, through the windshield at the bespectacled driver as said driver slammed on his brakes.

When the car was nearing her, her finger twitched against the trigger. And the car halted right before he hit her. Good enough. Lightning kept her finger on the trigger as the man stepped out of the car, face as pale as a ghost. Now, his appearance struck a cord in her memory. She knew him too.

"I can't believe it." He mumbled.

"Ignis, what the _hell_?" There was a second person exiting the car from the backseat. And Lightning's heart skipped a beat. They looked so much alike – he and Raines, she noted – even in the way they stared at her.

"Cl-" He began to say.

"It's Lightning now." She replied quickly, cutting him off. She expected him to remember, as Etro had hinted as such before ripping her out of the past. And judging by the look in his eyes, he did remember. "But Claire was my name once."

"I know." The dark prince replied. "Welcome home."

He held out a hand for her to take. Tucking her gunblade away into its holster, she eyed him carefully. It was a test to see if it was really her. Shaking her head, she scoffed and did not take his hand, instead opting to fold her arms and shift her weight from one side to the other.

Ignis cocked an eyebrow, pushing up his glasses. Noctis offered a tiny shred of a smile.

She had passed the test.

* * *

Claire was of the Farron line, descended from a Snow Villiers and Serah Farron since the fall of Cocoon.

And Noctis was of the Raines line. Apparently, her dear old friend Cid had fathered a child during his time as Primarch. Lightning was hardly surprised. The man was charismatic and a capable charmer. She grumbled, recalling such a time when she almost fell into his bed.

That would have been awkward to mention to Noctis.

_By the way, I almost bedded your ancestor. _

Shaking her head, she took a seat on the white couch, staring at Noctis with piercing blue eyes and arms folded. Noctis sat opposite to her on a black couch, across from her; the two of them were separated by a simple coffee table.

"How long has it been?" She asked of him.

"A couple of years." Noctis paused. "What about you?"

"A lifetime." The soldier replied. "I suppose you know about that life."

"It's in the history books." The brooding prince retorted.

She scoffed, leaning back into the couch and rolling her eyes. "Tell me about it."

And so, he started to weave the tale for her.

* * *

It's been a while since I've updated. Sorry everyone. Lots of plot bunnies for _Type-0_ running around. By the way, I do realize that XIII-2 is close to being released and all. So consider _Parallel_ very AU-ish as of right now. I have plans for Noel showing up sooner or later. I know exactly how I'm weaving him in. I hope you enjoyed this.


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